Rocco II
The fastest ship in the Universe, the Rocco II (formerly the Red Jewel) is the vessel of the Magnificent 7, serving as both their base of operations and primary mode of transportation. It is a C-564C Eclipse Light Cruiser, a simple high speed cargo ship created at the Tanthalas Shipyards of the Jehdan Empire by Mirai Industries. There was nothing extraordinary about the ship, other than it was designed to be very fast in order to outrun pirates. Over time, the ship was sold off to a private owner, who bought it with the idea of turning it into a smuggling vessel. He upgraded the engines and many of the ship’s internal systems, and the ship began a long history of changing hands between smugglers and traders. Each of its many owners would put it through a series of upgrades and retrofits, with particular attention being given to the speed of the ship. It would eventually come into the hands of a drifter named Jaxx Barro, who had killed her employer, the Jehdan Duke Lovelace Valentine, over a matter involving slave trafficking and run off with the ship. After she broke from Valentine, Barro began to add to the prior owners' modifications. Her personal enhancements included upgrading the armor plating, weapons, engines, sensors, and sensor jammers. Many of the ship’s most important modifications were cannibalized from a downed SENTINEL Capitol Ship, including its power core which gave the tiny ship a power output of a ship many times its size. The Hyperdrive she took from the ship made Red Jewel the fastest ship in private ownership, being able to travel to almost any point in the known Universe in a matter of days. She was eventually seemingly murdered by her first mate, the Selikan Wylie who gathered the fearsome Grinning Pirates. Wylie himself was killed by a passing John Nash, who took the ship and renamed it the Rocco II and gave the ship’s AI the name Rocco (it had previously been referred to as just “Ship”). History The ship which would become the Rocco II began life inauspiciously enough at the Mirai Star Drives Factory on the planet Tanthalas. Built to standard specs for a C-564C Eclipse, it was sent to a dealer where it was bought in a lot of over a dozen other Eclipses by an altruistic trader called Sal Vation. Upon his death the ownership of the company and its fleet passed to Vation's son Sal Lazar, who unfortunately lacked his father's upstanding character. An avid gambler, he lost big and became deeply indebted to the fearsome Jehdan nobles, the Lovelace family. At this time the head of the family, Duke Lovelace Valentine was looking to expand his family's smuggling enterprise and he took possession of the Eclipses to square Lazar's debt. To this end, Valentine had the ships retrofitted with parts well past standard specs for a C-564C. Weapon emplacements and shield generators from D-model Military Eclipses were installed. The interiors of the ships were modified to have secure holding and countless secret compartments to fool nosey inspectors. Most important though were the ship's thrusters, engines, and hyperdrives. Valentine installed the best systems money could buy, and by the time he was done these Eclipses could easily outrun anything shy of a SENTINEL Capital Ship. It and it's sister ships were painted the Lovelace House color of red and given names like the Crimson Fist, the Bloody Crown, the Scarlet Bitch, etc, In this vein this particular Eclipse was christened as the Red Jewel. The Lovelaces used their new Eclipse fleet to bolster their smuggling operations and would use them to move illicit cargo quickly and discreetly. Duke Valentine hired his subordinate and occasional lover Jaxx Barro to captain the Red Jewel. She faithfully served the Lovelaces for years until she discovered that the cargo she was smuggling was Purran Slaves. Aghast at what she had been unwittingly involved in, she freed the slaves and absconded with the ship. This action marked the beginning of a long vendetta between herself and Duke Valentine, and under her it eventually became an infamous outlaw ship. It was under Barro that the Red Jewel would receive its most extreme modifications which set it vastly apart from other Eclipses. Using technology scavenged from a downed SENTINEL ship, she managed to give it power, engines, shields and weapons rivaling even many capital class ships and making it arguably the fastest ship in private ownership. From the SENTINEL ship Barro even managed to scavenge half a dozen nova bombs which she secretly installed in the ship. The name was kept when Barro was betrayed by her second in command Wylie and the Barro Gang became the Grinning Pirates. Wylie did not have the love for the ship that Barro did, and under his command the ship fell into a state of disrepair. The middle decks were hastily dismantled to accommodate a larger crew. The removed walls and bulkheads resulted in a great deal of exposed cabling and pipes, and it became fairly dirty. When John Nash killed Wylie in a bar fight he took possession of the ship. He renamed it the Rocco II after the 69 Dodge Charger owned by his father. The Rocco II would take John, Dashora and Thuro from Arkem to Kazan where it was safely hidden during the events of the Saran Civil War. Afterwards John used the money he'd inherited as the new Lord Naru to completely refurbish the Rocco II according to his tastes (during its time as the Grinning Pirates' ship the inside had become rather disgusting). Taking it to a popular space ship detailing company called Red Rim Customs, John opted for an interior package which would include a thorough cleaning and new carpeting, bedding & furnishing. The retrofit included a complete upgrade of ship's systems, and the outdated helm and ops stations were replaced with newer more sleek designs and touch screen interfaces. Red Rim Customs was also responsible for giving the ship a new coat of red paint and drawing the jolly roger design on the nose of the ship. Upon returning to Kazan, he made the ship his residence instead of Naru Tower. When the God King Crash re-emerged and he was recruited along with Thuro and Kara to find Cain and bring him back to Kazan, it marked the beginning of an adventure which would see him gain additional crew in the mercenary brothers Hefe and Bruno Logan and the fearsome Fae warrior, Bellona. After Kazan's destruction he would return to Earth to collect himself, and while there the group was joined by his former girlfriend June Hammer. The group would eventually fight and defeat Crash, becoming instantly famous as the Magnificent 7. Declared outlaws by the All Union, the Rocco II would become the group's mobile home moving forward. Ship Features Due in no small part to it's long and dangerous history, the Rocco II is one of the fastest ships in the entire Universe and is remarkably well armed for its size and class. One of its earlier owners had replaced the ships bow with one scavenged from a C-564D Military model Eclipse, so it had 2 gun emplacements and torpedo tubes in its nose. The ship is a medium sized cruiser, being 11 meters tall, 50 meters in length and 32 in width. The hull is sleek, and best known for its iconic red paintjob from when it came into the possession of the Lovelace Family. It was at this point that the ship was named the Red Jewel. The bridge is an armored blister on the front half of the ship, with two hatches behind it. The sublight engines are contained in 2 outriggers on either side of the ship, with stabilizing fins rising from each. On the bottom of the ship are the two hyper engines, which also have the rear landing gear. The front landing gear doubles as an access point and ramp leading to the lower hold. Each of the Hyperdrive Engines have a rectangle on their bottom which operates as a magnetic grapple. They were installed during its time as a pirate ship to allow it to attach itself to the hulls of ships it was attacking. When the group had to infiltrate Figaro, John used the grapple to attach to the ship's back and ride it to the planet. When asked how he came up with the idea he said he "saw it in a movie once." In the year following the fall of the Holy Order the Rocco II became John's primary source of diversion, and he dedicated himself to learning the specifics of spaceship modification. Like many of its previous owners, John dedicated himself to improving its speed and power. In addition to having the interior professionally remodeled, he procured the largest block engine he could find. The presence of the SENTINEL power core supplied the necessary energy to keep the engine running. It would often be pointed out by others that the Rocco II didn't sound like other Eclipses and John would admit he installed a bigger engine to make it "sound mean." The Rocco II's power plant is a SENTINEL Mark XXVII Nova Core that was pirated from a downed SENTINEL Flagship. This Core powers all ship's systems, significantly boosting its speed and force fields. Initially John rarely used more than 40% of the Power Core's output for fear of shaking the ship apart, but Hefe managed to adjust the balance between the Core and the Shields so that it could use close to 99% Power without overly damaging the ship's structural integrity. However, he advised against ever taking the Drive past 80% unless it was absolutely necessary. Even at this level, the ship is capable of travelling between galaxies in matter of days where other ships will take weeks. Like most common space ships, the Rocco II is equipped with a Gravisphere which simulates gravity within the ship while projecting an anti-grav field without. Not only does this field control gravity onboard the ship allowing crew to comfortably move around, it also works somewhat like how Aura is used by individuals in that it can hold the ship aloft in space. Using this field, the Rocco II is able to hover stably in nearly any environment. The Gravisphere also acts as a inertial dampening field, allowing the Rocco II incredible maneuverability while protecting the crew from the strain the inertia would normally place on them. The field projected by the generator is always on, and is considered a critical system like life support. Despite its incredible functions, the Gravisphere on the Rocco II's strain on the power core is negligible. 'Rocco (Ship's AI)' The Rocco II’s artificial intelligence system, Rocco (originally called just “Ship”) is just as much a personality on board the Rocco II as any member of its crew. Primarily communicating through speakerphones, an interface on the bridge, and a seemingly limitless number of miniature maintenance robots, Rocco is a constant companion of the crew, and assists them in all areas of the ship’s upkeep – even including the kitchen-duty. Sporting a wryly sarcastic and canterkerous personality, Rocco is almost always engaged in reminding the crew of their personal duties and responsibilities, much as a father-figure or a butler might. While his demeanor is callous and rude, Rocco does seem to display a great deal of affection for his current crew, relating that their generally better than the pirates who owned him before. He’s also very confident in his own greatness, and regularly states that he’s the best ship in the galaxy. This often irritates John, who would rather sleep late and shirk chores, and Rocco, as a result, is frequently compelled to confront John about his laziness and inadequacy. Rocco also regularly voices concern over his "future prospects" due to the brash nature of John's captaining. 'Schematic' The Rocco II is a C-Variant C-564 Eclipse and is rather typical of that class. It possesses three decks: 'Deck 1' Bridge: The Rocco II is controlled from the Bridge. The helm is in the front center, with 4 crew stations in a horseshoe shape behind it. While the crew stations control navigation, engineering, communications and sensors respectively, all of these functions can be managed in a limited capacity from the helm. The door to the hall to the rest of the deck is at the rear. A hatch to the right of the door leads down to the Mess on Deck 2. Captain's Quarters: Leaving the Bridge, there is a long hall leading to the rear hold and the stairs leading down to the lower decks. To the left halfway down the hall is the door to the Captain's Quarters. The Captain's Quarters are a good deal larger than the Crew Quarters on the lower deck, and has its own washroom complete with a sink, toilet and shower. The bed is larger and is found against the far wall, and has a foot locker at its base. In the corner there is a computer desk with dual monitors and a separate tablet that John can draw on where he works on his art. Along the other walls there is a bigger dresser for June's clothes, a night stand, an entertainment center with a telescreen above it, book shelves, and a large screen on the far wall that doubles as a port hole. In the wall above the nightstand between the bed and computer desk is a synthesizer recessed into the wall. Sick Bay: '''Across the Hall from the Captain's Quarters is the Sick Bay. The Sick Bay contains the ship's medical facilities. In addition to containing the medicine and surgical supplies, it also has three Healing Chambers in which injured people can be placed and immersed in healing fluid which can rapidly speed up their recovery. Upon joining the crew and becoming Ship's Doctor, Bruno tends to spend a lot of time here. '''Storage: Behind the Captain's Quarters but before the stairway is a storage room. Work Room: A room John left open to be used for the purposes of tinkering. Since coming onboard this room has been dominated by Hefe who uses it to create new objects. Head: Further down from the Sick Bay across from the staircase is the head. It has a 4 urinals, 3 stalls, and a sink with 4 basins. People go there to relieve themselves. Rear Hold: 'At the very stern of the ship is the rear hold. Here, there is an aft hatch which can open to receive cargo. Also in this hold, are two Space Pods, used to transport single members when the ship is otherwise indisposed. 'Deck 2 Crew Quarters: '''The other crew members lodgings are on the second deck, and of the 6 rooms available, only 5 are regularly inhabited (Cain and Kara share a cabin). Compared to the Captain's Quarters, the Crew Quarters are rather spartan. The dimensions of these rooms are 8' tall, 12.5' wide and 16 deep. They are narrow, with a closet immediately to the right after entering the room. Just past the closet space is a recessed bunk, which is nominally big enough for two people. Across from the bunk is a desk, often with a pad connected to the ship's systems. On the far wall is a screen which can double as a porthole when not being used. '''Bath: '''The Bath is towards the back of the deck near the stairs. In addition to a toilet, it contains the washing facilities, including a sink, mirror, and a sizable bathtub. '''Laundry Room: A small cramped room between the bath and the crew quarters, the Laundry Room has three sets of washers and dryers and a table for folding clothes. Galley: ' '''The G alley is a small room next to the Mess, cordoned off by a wall with a door and window opening to the Mess. The Galley contains refrigeration, stoves, burners, a microwave, and a synthesizer. It is barely big enough for 3 people to stand in at once. The Galley also possesses a synthesizer which John programmed with his favorite foods and drinks that he brought with him from Earth. Since taking on additional crew, the others have programmed their own food and drink preferrances' into it. '''Mess: '''The Mess is adjacent to the Galley and is found directly below the Bridge. It is accessed through either a door from the hallway in the center of the deck, or a ladder coming down from a hatch in the ceiling which links the Mess and the Bridge. It has a long table with 10 seats (4 on each side with 1 at each end). '''Rec Room: The Rec Room is at the far forward end of the deck, and is where the crew goes to unwind. It has two long couches with a lounger that John apparently brought from Earth. It possesses a computer station linked to the ship's systems and a bubble hockey table. On the forward wall is a large screen, and in a table in between the couches is a table with a holo projector in the middle. On the starboard wall is a synthesizer disguised as a Red-Cola soda machine which John programmed to dispense his favorite soft drinks from Earth. 'Deck 3' Hold: The Hold is where all the extraneous cargo that the Magnificent 7 pick up is kept. It is far larger than any other room in the ship, with many secret compartments from the ship's days as a smuggling vessel. The floor of the hold has many detachable panels underneath which objects can be hidden. The cargo hold since John took the ship has been a mess. Supplies are in boxes stacked haphazardly around the room, while nearly an entire wall has a pile of gold and jewels which are made up of the remains of the Naru Clan's fortune and various other treasures the group has absconded with over the course of their adventures. It is only June's influence that keeps clear paths from the loading doors to the stairs and the door to the engine room. In a front corner of the hold is a small workout area John maintains with a force diffusing punching bag. Engine Room: The Engine Room is located at the aft section of the deck. The door is usually locked, but all in the crew know the passcode to enter it. The room is heavily shielded, with a central furnace with pipes leading out to either engine and the two Hyperspeed Engines. Beneath the rather archaic looking furnace facade, is a state of the art SENTINEL Drive that was stolen from a downed SENTINEL Flagship. This Hyperdrive powers all ships systems, and gives the Rocco II the power of a ship many times its size. John initially rarely took the Drive beyond 40% Capacity, as using all the Drive's power could potentially rip the ship apart. After Hefe joined the crew, he rebalanced the Drive allowing 80% to be used without fear. 'Trivia' - The Rocco II is named after Ray Nash's black Dodge Charger. Ray had named the car Rocco after a friend who was a famous pornstar. - Over the course of its life, the ship became part of a fleet of Eclipses which were remodeled as smuggling vessels by a Jehdan gangster. This gangster eventually ran afoul of the Lovelace Family, and he sold the fleet to them to settle a debt. Under them it and its sisters were painted red (the official color of the Lovelaces) and the ship was given the name the Red Jewel (its sisters got names like the Crimson Fist, the Bloody Crown, the Scarlet Bitch, etc). The Lovelaces would continue to use the Eclipses as smuggling vessels, with the Red Jewel being piloted by a young Jaxx Barro. When she discovered that the cargo she was smuggling was actually a group of purran slaves, she set them free and absconded with the Jewel. The rest of the Lovelaces' Red Fleet of Eclipses were eventually destroyed by Barro as part of her vendetta against Duke Valentine, resulting in the former Red Jewel being the only one left of that original batch. - Many of the Rocco II's most valuable upgrades were done by Jaxx Barro when she owned the ship. Though the ship is of the C-Variant, it was upgraded with the weapon emplacements from a derelict D-Variant by an earlier owner. These weapons were later upgraded like the rest of the ship's systems with technology recovered from a downed SENTINEL Capital Ship by Jaxx Barro. She was also responsible for equipping the ship with jammers and falsifiers which hide the ship's illegal upgrades by giving off false readings. For this reason Hefe was surprised to find SENTINEL hardware throughout the ship. - The crew quarters on the middle deck were originally secured storage when the ship was owned by the Lovelace Family, which were often used to confine transported slaves. After running off with the ship and gaining a crew, Barro would turn these storage rooms into crew quarters, though as she arranged it each room contained four stacked bunks to allow for more lodging. When Wylie took control of the ship he maintained this set up, but John never expected to have very many people aboard at any given time and initially decided that only a few of the rooms would serve as crew quarters. However, he was never able to think of anything else to do with them and would make each room lodging for a single person to stay comforably "just in case." This proved to be providential when the Magnificent 7 gathered and each was able to have their own room with 3 left over for any additional guests. - In each room there is a "trash chute" which is pulled out of the wall into which a passenger throws their refuse. Each of these "trash chutes" is actually an atomizer that breaks apart whatever is thrown into it and stores the atoms to be recycled later into new things by the Synthesizers. Trash Chutes have a safety protocol that makes it impossible for them to destroy any living matter. - After the death of the Holy Ghost, John was named Lord Naru by the newly crowned King and the titles and wealth of the Clan were restored to him. While he was largely uninterested in his role as the head of a defunct house, the wealth given to him was largely used to customize and ugrade the Rocco II. He would continue to live aboard the Rocco II, never taking up residence in Naru Hall. - Upon taking ownership of the vessel, John almost immediately began messing with the synthesizer settings and the furnishings. After the battle with Holy Ghost was over he spent much of the following year redecorating. Among his first big changes was the installation of carpet on the upper 2 decks (he says he hated the metal plate flooring on his bare feet, and installed tile in the bathrooms and the galley (because that's where tile belongs...)). The carpet on the bridge and in the hallways is a loop pile to maintain itself despite being in high traffic areas. In the bedrooms, galley and rec room he has more plush cut pile style carpet, put for those places "where he sometimes just wants to lie on the floor." When she first comes aboard the ship, June immediately recognizes John's tastes and mocks his additions as tacky. - In the cargo hold John has a practice dummy made from a column of Impact Gel similar to the Muk Yan Jong used in kung fu practice. When not in use the gel appears as a blue column. When used the dummy will absorb the force directed against it and project an arm or leg sized protrusion for the practitioner to react to. - The interior of the Rocco II is covered with invisible arcana runes set up by Thuro during their pursuit of King Crash. They hide the ship from the senses of gods and like beings and prevent them from being able to teleport themselves aboard. Crash realizes something is up with the ship when he notices that unless his eyes are on it, he cannot sense where it or the people inside are. - The Rocco II's store of Obliterators was the main reason behind Jaxx Barro reclaiming it. She needed the bombs to blow up a planet which had formed over a portal to Limbo.